The dinners themselves varied widely. The organizers of the “Now, Mr. Lincoln?” campaign are clear that the hosts have a significant amount of autonomy in determining the content and themes of their parties, reassuring potential hosts that even a pot of spaghetti would be sufficient [A&SC 42]. In practice the hosts (usually couples) threw singalong dinners, a Monte Carlo themed dinner, a cocktail party at a golf club, and even a dinner in an unfinished-but-framed-in house [A&SC 42].

A “Now, Mr. Lincoln” dinner packet offered hosts additional details and resources about hosting a dinner. (It’s unclear if all hosts or merely select individuals received this document, but it is clearly intended for the hosts, detailing where to send checks, and a reminder to screen the “Now, Mr. Lincoln?” television program with their guests.) [A&SC 45]. Although the actual themes of the dinners varied widely, this “Now, Mr. Lincoln?” packet contains several pages of soul food recipes to help inspire guests. The recipes are obviously written for cooks with little experience cooking soul food as it has directions for where in Tacoma to purchase black-eyed peas and okra, and explains how to tell the difference between a yam and a sweet potato [A&SC 45].

While the dinners were hosted by individual homes and organizations across Tacoma, the night culminated downtown at the “Media Festival,” a communal celebration hosted at the old Elks Temple. Entertainment for the night included various musical performances and a go-go dancer, as well as an “Afro Style Show” and a “black-play reading,” according to one newspaper article. Guests who wished to continue the party after their dinners were all invited to join the festivities at the Media Festival, if they were willing to provide a further donation towards the “Now, Mr. Lincoln?” campaign [A&SC 42].

Like other aspects of the campaign, the promotion of these recipes and presentation of events such as an “Afro Style” fashion show make African American culture a sort of exotic selling point, giving the hosts and guests who are engaging only superficially with racial injustice a false sense of cheery exoticism. It is emblematic of the way that America has historically understood racial problems as “fixable” without much self-reflection on the part of white populations that the organizers of the “Now, Mr. Lincoln?” campaign failed to note this concerning irony even as their campaign sought to combat socioeconomic stratification in Tacoma.